The Devil Hunter and the Draconis
by 88dragon06
Summary: Dante, Trish, and Lady get hired to take out a evil monster. But its not quite what they expected.
1. Chapter 1

This is my very first fan fiction story, so I hope its at least somewhat readable. I will try and work on improving my writing as I go, but I can not promise my updates will be fast (also the reason for a very short first chapter). And of course I don't own anything in the DMC world, only my own ideas. With all that boring stuff out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story.

Chapter One

It was your average day at Devil May Cry. The jukebox was playing rock music, the old creaky fan turned over head, and a little blonde girl was busy cleaning the room in her frilly pink dress. All the while a tall man with white hair, dressed in red, sat sleeping at his desk with his feet propped up at his desk with a magazine on his face.

Just after noon, two women entered his office. One woman called Lady was average height with short, dark hair and two different colored eyes. She wore a white blouse and a skirt with enough ammunition in the many pockets to blow a building. The other woman, named Trish, was slightly taller with straight blonde hair down to her waist. She was wearing skin tight black pants with matching corset. The little girl turned at the sound of the door opening.

"Customer?"

"Sorry Patty, its just me and Trish," Lady said.

"Hey guys! What brings you down here? If you want Dante, good luck. I haven't got him to move all morning, he is so lazy!"

"Isn't that the truth," Trish said with a laugh.

"Can you all keep it down! I'm trying to get some sleep here," Dante said with a yawn as he removed his magazine from his face.

"Calm down Dante. We haven't come to pester you this time. Even if you still owe me my money." Lady explained.

"Then what the hell you doing here?"

"We were asked here to meet our client for our next mission," Trish said.

"So why meet here? I'm not some open house, here for your use whenever you want."

"I asked to meet here because I wish to hire you as well, Dante Sparda," came the reply of a new, deeper voice.

All heads turn to see a dark figure in the door way. He was a tall and skinny man, with skin as pale was the moon. Short dark hair hung down to his eyes which were as dark as coal. He finished walking into the office of the devil hunters building.

"Who the hell are you," Dante asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My name is Professor Lacerta. And I have a great evil at my home that needs taken care of, by all of you."

"So bad that you wish to hire all three of us?" Lady asked, "What exact ally are we suppose to exterminate?"

"A dragon."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Around midnight the trio of devil hunters found themselves outside a giant castle, along with Morrison and Patty. Said castle was centuries old and showing it. Built on one hundred acres of land, the over one hundred room structure stood in the moon light looking like it would collapse any moment. All this destruction could be explained by the way the ground looked like a battle had taken place. Ruble and scorch marks were all over the place, and by the looks of it, it was all recently done.

"This is one amazing place, right out of a fairy tale, minus the destroyed parts," Patty said, "Does a real dragon actually live here?"

"So we've been told," sighed Dante, "Remind me again, why your annoying butt is here?"

Patty huffed as Morrison came closer to the two bickering friends. As usual Morrison had his trademark coat and hat on, while lighting a cigarette.

"She came with me when she heard I was coming too. And I would like to see you try and talk her out of it."

Dante scoffed as he turned to Morrison. " And what are you doing here?"

"I want to see what this is all about. In all my jobs of late I haven't once come across this 'dragon monster' you have talked about. And all of a sudden this mysterious guy wants all three of you? I don't like it, something is very suspicious about this."

"You're more than likely right. But the only way to find out anything, is to see first hand what the heck is going on," Trish said.

"Yea, well something better happen soon, or I'm going back home to sleep, I don't care how much money the crazy professor offered each of us. Lady would just take my share for my dept any way, and wont even leave me enough for a pizza."

"Its not my fault you owe so much money. And how many times do we have to tell you to stop eating all that junk food? Besides we just got here Dante. And that professor said the dragon has been showing up after midnight to attack the castle with its demon friends," Lady explained.

As soon as Lady finished speaking a big roar was heard coming from the north end of the castle. And in no more than a blink of an eye, hundreds of demons started climbing their way out of the broken down castle and even the surrounding woods. Demons of all shapes and sizes made their way to the silver haired devil hunter and co. And to make maters even more fun, the dragon in question showed its self by flying out of the dark woods to land on one of the main towers of the castle located near the entrance where the team of hunters got ready for a fight.

The dragon wasn't very impressive to look at. It was shorter in length than half a semi truck and couldn't have weighed more than 300 pounds. But as its entire body, that was covered in black scales, turned to the entrance and its dark amethyst eyes found the team of hunters, they could all most hear it laugh as it spotted its new prey.

"Well, looks like this party is finally getting started," Dante said with a smile, "Bring it on!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

As thunder rumbled in the distance and lighting flashed in the approaching dark clouds, the demons started their attack.

Morrison and Patty went for cover in the entrance of the castle. Standing in the archway, that leads into the heart of the crumbling building. The two humans watched their friends start their hunt.

All three hunters brought out their guns and started shooting at once. The demons bodies were covered in the darkness of the night and protected by the cover of the coming storm. But it was easy to see their eyes. Blazing bright, they were alight with a fire red color.

The fist set of demons they shot down were weak. Easily taken down, by just a bullet or two. Their dark grey skin dissolved quickly into nothingness. But even though they were weak, their friends who advanced after them were larger and cleverer. With this small increase in IQ, came just a small increase in tactical smarts . And this made the game more interesting. Hot bullet shells hissed in the cool rain, as they littered the ground. The hunters continued their assault on the army of demons.

Trish was using her pair of black guns to take out her adversary. But with an approaching army of devils coming her way, she decided on a different weapon. With a small smirk, she raised her right hand. When the demons were only a foot away from her, she released a static charge from her entire arm. The demons screeched in pain before they fell dead, burnt to a crisp.

"Looks like we need to step up our dance move," Trish called out before zapping another demon.

A few feet away, Lady was having her own fun. She had just taken out another demon with here trusty guns. The last of her bullets having been used, she brought out her rocket launcher that was strapped to her back. As four hungry devils charged her way, Lady aimed the launcher. With a deafening blast, she shot her beloved weapon straight into the heart of the pack. A puff of smoke and a small crater were all that was left of her enemies.

Lady fixed a strand of stray black hair as she turned to Trish to comment on the woman's previous statement. "I agree. Things are finally starting to get interesting. But what happened to that dragon?"

A few hundred yards away, Dante just finished obliterating the last pack of demons. His beloved guns, Eboney and Ivory, were smoking from the amount of bullets having been used. He turned to the pair of demon huntresses with a sigh and began walking their way.

"Looks like this so called 'badass' dragon ditched us and sent its friends to take of us instead. To bad, I was kinda hoping to add 'dragon slayer' to my title."

Even through the rain, that was starting to pour heavily, anyone could see Trish and Lady roll their eyes at the man's statement.

"Could your ego get any bigger?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."

Off to the side of the new battle field, still soaked in demon blood, stood the two humans. Morrison and Patty watched the three friends as they continued their playful bickering in the steady rain fall.

"Its good to see everyone unharmed. But I wonder where the dragon is? I was kinda hoping to see it again," Patty said to the older man.

Morrison turned his attention from the hunters to the little blonde girl. Before he could answer, movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

No more than five feet away, a demon was making its way out of the shadows. Burning red eyes and fangs dripping with saliva, stood out against the demons dark grey skin as it hide in the cover of the thick blanket of rain. After being spotted by the man, the demon growled and made its move to jump on its prey. Morrison grabbed Patty and put her behind him, in a last attempted to shield her from the monster.

All of a sudden, by an almost invisible force, the demon was knocked into the castle wall. As soon as it fell to the ground, it was set ablaze. Screaming in pain, only for a moment, before it burned to death.

With the help of the fire, still cooking the demon to beyond well done, the dragon could now be seen. It turned to look at Morrison and Patty, who were still huddled down for protection. Before anything else happened, a small boom was heard and then the dragon was thrown back into the stone wall. The older man and younger girl turned their heads to see Lady lowering her smoking rocket launcher.

With his traditional cocky smirk and sword slung over his shoulder, Dante looked happy at the turn of events, as he addressed his agent.

"Hey, Morrison. Why don't you take Patty to a less crowded place? Things are going to get a little messy around here."

Morrison grabs Patty's hand and mutters a 'good luck' as he turns to leave. Rumbling could be heard from inside the hole the dragon smashed into, so nobody seemed to hear Patty trying to protest to killing a creature that just saved their lives.

The dragon crawled out of the hole in the wall, to come face to face with the hunters. With a low growl, the creature spread its leather like wings, as if it's preparing to take off. Trish shot a bolt of electricity into it, causing the creature to screech in pain and stopping any flight plans.

"We can't let you off that easy. What's the matter? Big bad monster afraid to fight?" Dante taunts with sarcasm dripping from every word.

The dragon turns its head in Dante's direction, before it hears the sound of a click. Now seeing Lady and her rocket launcher, ready for another attack, the dragon reacts. Using inhuman speed, the dragon charges at Lady. Hitting her with its tail and sending her flying into the mud. The rocket goes off and is sent spiraling off before it hits a wall hundreds of feet off to the left. Trish takes action and prepares for another lightning attack, until a wall of fire falls in her path, momentarily cutting her off.

The dragon starts to turn of another fight, but a giant sword flies through the air like a javelin. It tears its way through the dragon's right wing and into the wall that has the large hole in it from earlier. A roar of pain leaves the dragon's mouth as it turns to look at the damage done to its now bleeding wing. Looking back at the smirking hybrid, with anger in its amethyst eyes, the dragon lets out a low growl. Turning its head to grab the hilt of the sword with its teeth, the creature attempts to free itself. After a moment of effort, the dragon pulls the sword out and its wing free. Dropping the sword at its clawed feet and into the mud, the dragon's wing hangs limply at its side as it once again faces the hunter. Only this time his two companions are by his side. With its damaged wing, and loss of blood that has now mixed with the puddles from the rain, the dragon has only one thought in mind: run.

In one giant leap, the dragon had made its way up the wall that was above the entrance to the castle, before the hunters could react. Hanging onto the wall with its claws and crawling up the rest of the wall and over the side, the creature disappeared into the heart of the castle.

"What the hell was that? It didn't even put up a decent fight," Lady questions while looking at Trish. Trish in reply, just shrugs her shoulder.

Dante picks up his sword and hooks it to his back as he starts walking into the castle. As he nears the entrance he calls over his shoulder to the girls.

"You two stay with Patty and Morrison, just in case there are more demons. I'm going to see what this dragon has to say for itself."

And with that, he walked into the castle. The girls looked back to where he was walking. His tall form quickly swallowed away by darkness that surrounded the inside of the stone building.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Dante continues his walk along the dark corridor of the castle. His boots making a splashing sound, in the puddles form the rain, off the walls.

'Having a demon dad has its advantages,' Dante mused as he easily guided his way past rubble in the pitch black, run down corridor. Only the occasional lightning bolt to light the way, easily shining through the gaps in the roof and walls.

As he walks, Dante starts to think back to the dragon, weird professor, and what could possibly be the real case going on.

_Flashback_

_Professor Lacerta stood at the front of Dante's desk. The devil hunter still hadn't moved from his seat behind the desk. Lady and Trish stood to the left of the desk by the coffee table and pair of worn down couches, listening to the professor. Patty had decided the time was right to go make some tea. _

_"So, you're trying to tell me," Dante began, "that this dragon is something you accidently summoned. You can't control it, because it's become too powerful and teamed up with demons to reek havoc. And you want the three of us, to take it and its devil friends down before others get hurt. Sounds almost like one of Patty's soap operas if you ask me."_

_Patty sends a glare Dante's way, as she returns with the cup of tea. After sitting it on the desk in front of the man, she turns to sit by the two older women. The man hardly takes notice of the tea, as he tries once again to plead with the hunter._

_"Please, you have to believe me. It started to come after me now, and it won't stop till I'm dead! It's attacked my home, three nights in the last week. I won't be able to hold out much longer. My magic protects me, but that monster has gotten stronger. And with its friends it's almost unstoppable."_

_By this time the professor has beads of sweat trailing down his face. His skin starting to pale. If one didn't know any better, you would almost think he was scared his offer would be turned down._

_"How much are you willing to pay? You must be loaded if you think you can afford all three of us," Dante comments as he moves from his desk to go play some pool._

_The man reached into his coat pocket and pulls out a small black drawstring bag. As he opens it and tips the contents into his hand, everyone sees sparkling little diamonds shimmer in the rooms dim light._

_"Here. Consider this a down payment. I can give you three times as much when you finish the job. Deal?"_

_"Sounds good to me," Dante smirks as he reaches for the bag._

_Lady snatches the bag out of Dante's reach. _

_"I'll take this. You'll just spend it all on pizza."_

_"Again," Trish adds in a condescending tone. Patty can't help but nod in agreement._

_"Shut up, all of you."_

_With the hunters in agreement for the job, the professors' emotions changer dramatically. From a worried and desperate man to a calm, business like nature in less than 30 seconds. _

_"Excellent, so it's all agreed. I will expect you at my home before midnight tomorrow. I believe Miss Lady had the address already."_

_And with that, the professor turns and exits the building. Leaving with his tea untouched at the desk and three hunters and a little girl with skeptical minds._

_"Did anyone else think that man was a little odd?"_

_Trish turned to Lady and smiles._

_"Yes, he did but either way it sounds like fun."_

_"It has been boring around here. Maybe this dragon can liven things up," Dante says as he makes his way back to his desk and magazine._

_"A real dragon! That would be so neat to see!" Patty says as she starts her fairy tale day dream._

_End Flashback_

The smell of freshly spilled demon blood brought Dante out of his thoughts. The hybrid looks to his left and sees a crack in the wall. Large enough for him to fit through, thanks to the falling beam that created it. After sliding through the hole, Dante takes a minute to look at his surroundings.

What looks like something that might have been a beautiful garden, is now a waste land. Over grown shrubs have been splattered with demon blood. And the only ones that didn't have blood, had been burned to their roots. Walking closer to the middle of the garden, Dante found what was once a fountain. Now it was nothing but gravel.

"Some hell of a party took place here. Why was I not invited?"

Just then Dante heard the unmistakeable sound of the dragon's cry. And it was close. Real close. Leaving the ruined fountain, Dante walked over to his right. The path through the torn garden was taking him right to the side of the castle.

The closer he got to the wall, the more Dante noticed there was a strange pink light coming from the wall of the castle. When he was only 900 feet from the wall, Dante saw the dragon.

It was covered in blood, most likely from all the demons it had just killed it the garden, as well as some of its own blood. And its wing still hung at an odd angle from here the sword had pierced through it. The only weird thing was the circle of pink light at its feet. On closer inspection you could see some kind of writing in the light. And that's when Dante noticed the Professor, standing 3 feet in front of the dragon. Only he was wearing some kind of dark colored robe.

This was definitely not what Dante expected to come across. Well, there was one way to get some answers, and Dante had no problem getting a front row seat to watch the events unfold. And with the worst of the storm over, Dante didn't have to worry about the rain now. And he still had some cloud cover and the shadow of a tall blood stained bush to help him hide and get a good view to what was happening.

The professor started to laugh as the dragon struggled to move. This circle of light must have been some kind of prison for the dragon. But if the man could do this all along, why hire outside help. The questions started to pile up in Dante's mind.

"You won't be getting out of there anytime soon, you stupid lizard. But go ahead and waste your energy, you still won't move a muscle outside of that circle. I've been waiting for you to slip up and take my chance at capturing you again. That circle has a powerful holding spell on it. Desined especially for the likes of you."

With that comment the dragon turns to the man and lets out an angry roar.

"Oh, so sorry. Do my words hurt your pride? Well how about another blow to your ego."

The professor starts to chant in an unknown language and stretches his arms out to his side. The light in the circle gets so bright that Dante has to shield his eyes with his gloved hand. The dragon cries out in pain. And as fast as it started, it all stops and the light is gone along with the circle.

Blinking a couple of times to get the little spots of light out of his eyes, Dante turns back to the dragon. Only problem is, it isn't there anymore. In its place, laying face down in the dirt is a girl.

Definitely _not_ what Dante expected.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Face down in dirt, covered in blood, mud, demon guts, and who knows what else, is not the best way to wake up. So, as the girl slowly started to move up into a sitting position, the evil laugh she heard did nothing to improve her disposition.

Turning to the source of the laugh, the girl's slightly dazed expression turned to one of pure hate.

"Feeling better, my pet?"

Walking towards the dirt covered being, the robed man had an evil smirk on his face. As he got closer he placed his hands behind his back as he looked down at the girl. Amused when he saw that she was having difficulty getting up.

"Well, now that you've wasted my time and had your fun, its time to get back to work. I expect you to get your worthless self off the ground, now. We have a lot of work to do while those stupid demon hunters are still around. Although, these changes in our plans may help us after all."

And with that the man turned on his heel and started walking away. Devious ideas already started forming in his mind now that he had his tool back.

"No," came a horse reply.

That snapped the man out of his thoughts. He stopped walking and slowly turned around with a look that said he surly misunderstood what he just heard.

"What did you say?"

"I said, NO!"

"What do you mean, 'no?'" You don't get a choice. You're mine. I found you, I trained you, and you _will _obey me!"

The girl had managed to stand up on wobbly legs, during the crazy rant. Her dirty and torn shirt and pants hung loosely on her frame. She had a hand on her side to try and stop the blood flow of the gash in her side caused by the hunters' sword.

Standing to her full height of just over 5ft, she tried to stand her ground.

"You will not be using me as your personal tool any more. I'd rather die first."

The man starts to slowly walk back to the dragon girl. Obviously pissed off by what he just heard. Once he reached the girl, he snapped.

With lightning speed, he grabbed her neck with one hand and started to squeeze.

"Sorry, you won't get off that easy," he snarled, " You have a job to finish. And then when you're done with that. I think we'll have to do another crash coarse in perfecting your manners. What do you say to that?"

A strangled cry was all he reseaved as an answer from the girl in his hand. Loosening his grip just a little and bringing her closer to him so he could hear her, he tried again.

"What was that?

"I said, thats going to be hard for you, if I do this."

And then, without any more warning, she reached behind her for her small knife she had hided in her waist band. Before he knew what hit him, the man had a knife shoved into his stomach.

He let out a cry as he dropped the girl and doubled over in pain and reached for the knife. Pulling it out and staring at it as it dripped with his own blood. He dropped the knife and his gaze went from one of pain to murder as he looked back at the girl who was struggling to breath and get back on her feet.

"You stupid, worthless _thing_! I've had it with you! I'll make you pay for that one! By the time I'm done, you'll wish you were never born."

"Too late for that one, you ugly piece of shit," was his reply from the girl. She had managed to stand and was taking a few steps back towards the base of one of the castle towers.

Forgetting his pain for the moment, the man conjured up a bright pink ball of light. With murder in his eyes, he aimed his magic at the girl and shot it straight at her. Being too weak to move fast enough, the girl was hit with the full force of the magic.

A triumphant smile crosses his lips as he watches her being hit with the energy ball, thrown back into the castle wall and then crumbling to the ground.

His smile soon fades as he watches the magic affecting the surrounding area it hit. The castle wall and tower start to shake and then crumble. Big pieces of stone started falling all around the two who were only a few feet away from the wall to being with.

With fear in his eyes, the man did what any self righteous cowered would do and ran. Using his magic, he teleported away from the falling wall and the bleeding girl who was left playing a deadly game of tag with the falling stones.

The rocks continued to fall creating a dust cloud so thick you wouldn't be able to see your hand if front of your face. The girl tried her best to mover faster but was quickly swallowed by the falling castle.

As the castle and tower finished falling and the dust cloud lifted, but not a soul could be found moving.

Then at the bottom of the destroyed tower, almost entirely covered in rubble was the girl, slowly starting to move and was just beginning to wake up from the daze she was in.

As the girl came back to awareness, one would have sworn her eyes were a dark purple color. But as she blinked her eyes, they faded into a shade of soft brown.

Now fully awake, she noticed two very important things. One: she was half buried under rubble that was once part of the castle wall and two: after battling all three hunters and surviving the spell that hit her, she had no energy left, at all. All of this adding up to her being trapped with no way out.

It was almost as if she were sitting at the base of the destroyed tower. One massive rock lay across her stomach and several smaller rocks fell over her like a blanket of gravel. Only problem is that if she didn't get out of it soon and heal, it would be her blanket of death.

"Well, this is just peachy. As if I didn't have enough on my plate already," she complained as she observed her surroundings.

With only her head, left arm, and right leg sticking out she tried her best to move, but it was no use. The more she struggled the worse the giant gash in her side burned and bled. It didn't help matters when she discovered a nice gash in her head, caused by a falling rock no doubt, that also added to her blood loss.

She looked up into the sky and saw the full moon and some stars trying to shine their way through the last of the storm clouds.

With a lot of her blood already gone and things looking bleak, she decided to close her eyes and wait for the sweet release of death.

Thats when she heard the metal click of a gun, that came from right in front of her.

Opening her eyes she found herself looking down the barrel of a shinny black gun. Her eyes traveled up the gun and down the length of the arm holding said gun, till she looked at the persons face.

At first she couldn't clearly see his eyes. They were covered by his dripping wet hair. But as the last of the rain clouds moved out of the way of the moon, and the small sliver of light illuminated his face, she could finally see. She saw his hair shine like silver, but what caught her attention most were his sparkling blue eyes that shone through his hair. It almost hypnotized her. To bad they were as cold as steal as they looked back at her. She couldn't blame him though. If the situation were reverse, she would look at herself like that too.

After a silent moment of looking at his target, the hunter thought he should break the silence.

"So, you're a shape shifter. Why don't you just change back into a dragon to get out of this rubble? Then we can go for round two."

A small smile played on the dragon girls face as she replied. "As lovely as that sounds. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think I have the energy for a 'round two.' That last battle with your friends was fun and all, but the fight with my 'master' took a lot out of me. Not to mention the cut to my side, made with _your_ big ass sword, hurt like hell and is still bleeding. Thank you for that by the way."

A small smirk played of Dante's lips as he answered. "What's the matter? Not a fast healer?"

"Not when this much damage is done. Magic always takes a lot out of me."

With his gun still pointed at the 'monster,' Dante took a closer look at his prey. As he observed her lying in the dirt, he couldn't help but notice her eyes. At first glance they looked brown, but a second glance told him they were a warm shade of amber.

And with each passing moment, he could see the life slipping out of them. Even her face was losing color at a fast rate, due to the continuing blood loss.

"So, don't keep me in suspense. Are you going to let me die slowly in my own puddle of blood, or are you going to shoot me and get it over with?" She said with a tired sigh.

"Eager to die?"

"No, I had no wish to die tonight, thank you very much. But looks like I have no choice. Either by nature or your hand, it looks like it's my last night on earth."

At that moment the girl started coughing. Blood began to trickle out of her mouth, and her breath became larboard. Pushing that inconvenient part out of the way, she continued talking.

"But, before I go, a word of advice."

"Advice?" Dante raised one silver eyebrow. Well, he wasn't expecting that either, but that seemed to be the norm tonight, so he decided to listen.

"Yes. You may have gotten rid of me. But you won't get rid of that sorcerer so easily."

"Sorcerer? You mean that professor?"

She started coughing again. Only this time it was more intense, with even more blood coming out of her mouth. Her vision starting to become fuzzy and she had trouble keeping the hunter in focus. Even so, she managed a small laugh.

"He's no professor. He is a manipulative and evil jerk. And thats me being nice."

"So, why you telling me this? Besides, didn't you stab him?"

"He won't die from a wound that small. He has magic. That should take care of him if he healed himself fast enough."

The coughing started again and she knew she was fading fast. She looked the hunter straight in the eye. And with her remaining strength, explained to the hunter, what she felt with every fiber in her being.

"And just because I'm a monster doesn't mean I'm evil or heartless. Just watch your back cause he doesn't work alone."

With that final remark, the girl closed her eyes. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she slipped away into the sweet dark depths of unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Screams and fire were all around. Black smoke was rolling off the top of the red, yellow, and orange flames. The heat was rising along with the height of the flame._

_The entire town was nothing more than a massive lit candle, casting shadows from the few people still trying to run for their lives._

_In the middle of the chaos, a black dragon stood watching the pandemonium unfold. Her amethyst eyes reflected the fire that engulfed the town. The shouts of the villagers were ringing in her ears. The only thought going through her mind was the fact that she was the one that started this. She was responsible for it all._

The girl woke from her nightmare with a start. Beads of sweat dripped from her face as she blinked rapidly to try and shake the last of her dream from her mind.

Slowly becoming more self aware, she realized she was warm and laying down on something soft. Confused as to why she wasn't dead, she slowly looked around. She first saw a ceiling fan slowly circling overhead in the early morning light that was shining through the windows. Turning her head, she caught a glimpse of the rest of the room.

A brown coffee table sat in front in of her with a deck of cards spread out across the table top, as if someone stopped in the middle of a game. A few feet away was a worn pool table and across the room sat a red drum set and a vintage jukebox.

'Where the hell am I,' she thought, now more confused than ever with her surroundings. Carefully sitting up from what she realized was a brown leather couch, only to have a flash of red material fall from her shoulders to her lap. On closer inspection she found out that the material was really a long, blood red trench coat that had been laying over her in place of a blanket.

Moving the coat aside and attempting to stand up is when she felt a pain through her left side. Letting out a small hiss and looking down at her stomach, she saw bandages wrapped all around her middle. Now she saw she was missing her shirt, which left her in only her very dirty and torn blue jeans and her filthy black sports bra. She took a moment to look over the rest of her body. Among all the old scars where a few bandages, placed here and there, where the worst of her cuts were. She was nowhere near what one would call clean, but the worst of the dirt and blood had been cleaned away. Someone had even taken the time to remove her shoes.

She went to run her hand through her curly brownish red hair but found that it was matted to her head with bits of dirt and dried blood. Trying again, she winced as her fingers collided with her bandaged cut that rested on the side of her head. 'Who the hell did all this?' she thought.

Thats when her memories hit her like a ton of bricks. The castle, demons, stabbing the sorcerer, being hit with magic, castle wall falling on her, and the demon hunter all flashed through her mind, until she did a double take on demon hunter. It was the very last thing she could remember. And as if he knew she was thinking about him, said devil hunter choose that moment to walk out of the bathroom, and into the main sitting area where the dragon stood reminiscing.

Hearing the click of the bathroom door brought the wounded girl out of her musings as she whipped her head in the direction of the sound.

Dressed in only a clean pair of skin tight dark crimson pants, his black boots already on his feet, and his silver amulet with the ruby center shining in the morning sunlight, the hunter walked out of the bathroom with a white towel on his head and steam following him. Dante continued to dry his hair till he felt another set of eyes on him. Peeking out from behind his towel, Dante saw the girl looking at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Putting the towel around his neck and a smirk on his face, Dante started the conversation.

"You're awake. That was fast. You've only been out a few hours."

Only one thought crossed the girl's mind as she listened to the half naked hybrid, 'Oh, shit.'

Slowly backing away from the hunter, the dragon girl looked for any means of escape. She may have been awake, but she knew she was still weak and didn't really want to try and fight her way out.

Seeing the girl spot the door at the front of the shop and slowly make her way over, Dante moved quick as lightning to block her path after she had moved only a few feet towards the exit.

'Damn, knew it wouldn't be that easy,' the girl thought as she looked up into the hunter's face as he blocked her path to the only seen exit. Keeping her eye on the hybrid, she slowly backed up, but every step she took, he matched with one of his own.

Dante saw the uneasy look on the girls face as she kept walking back toward his desk. He decided to easy her mind a little. "Easy there, babe. Don't I even get a thank you? If I wanted to fight you right now, I wouldn't have bothered wasting my time patching you up, now would I?"

The girl kept walking backwards but quickly looked down at her bandages and then back up at the hunter with a surprised look on her face.

"YOU patched me up? But you're one of the hunters; you're suppose to kill me."

Dante raised a silver eyebrow and scoffs as he continues his walk toward the dragon. "Well, thats gratitude for ya."

"Its not that I'm not grateful for you saving me and all. I was just curious as to why? You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by letting me die."

As she finished talking, the girl's backside bumped into Dante's desk. Looking behind at the desk and then back up at the hunter the dragon realized she walked herself into a trap.

Slowly approaching the girl, who was cursing herself under her breath, Dante smirks as he slides the damp towel from around his neck and tosses it onto his desk. Seeing the girl try and side step him, Dante puts both hands on either side of her and on the desk, effectively trapping her.

With no regard for her person space, Dante leaned in close to the girl. Barely an inch separated them, and the dragon could smell the fresh soap and shampoo and count the few remaining drops of water rolling off his amulet and down his well toned body.

"Who _are _you and what do you want?"

"Names Dante."

"_You're_ Dante!"

"The one and only. No one else could look this good."

"I've got to get out of here."

"Sorry, babe. You aren't going anywhere till I get a couple of questions answered."

"And if I say 'no' to answering questions?"

"Then we may have a fight on our hands after all."

With nowhere to run, the dragon girl looked up into the hunter's face as he continued to stare at her. Soft amber eyes lock with cool blue ones that were almost hidden behind his curtain of straight silver hair. As they stare at each other a moment, the dragon began to feel hypnotized, just like from the night before. Then before either of them made a move to break the silence, the front door opened.

Turning to the sound, both see a young man enter the shop with a pizza box in hand. "Hey, Mr. Dante, I have your prosciutto and garlic potato pizza with extra sauce right here..."

The delivery boy stopped at the sight of the two people close together by the desk across the room. He turned bright red and looked away. "I'm real s-sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

The dragon girl was confused as to why the pizza boy was acting weird, until she realized what he must see. Two half naked people, close together, all alone. It wasn't hard to think what the pizza boy thought.

As the girl rolled her eyes at the young boy's assumption, Dante simply smirked as he left the girls side to retrieve his pizza. "Thats ok, no harm done. I'll pay ya at the end of the month, like always. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll get back to business."

Misunderstanding his words, the boy turned an even darker shade of red as he all but flew out of the shop. Walking back toward the girl, Dante sat the pizza on his desk before looking at the dragon.

"If you play nice, I'll share some of this pizza with you."

His statement left the girl totally dumb founded for a moment. Collecting her thoughts, she watched him as he walked around his desk to sit in his chair. Putting his feet on the desk, he grabbed a slice of pizza before he looked back at the girl who is still staring at him.

"So, what's it going to be, babe?"

"Why would you share your food with me?"

"You're as pale as a ghost still. And I don't want you passing out again in the middle of my questions. But if you'd rather fight thats fine too, just don't touch the pizza. So, whats it going to be?"

"Well, I am hungry."

"Well then, help yourself. But hurry before it's all gone," Dante said with a smirk, helping himself to his fourth slice.

Still keeping an eye on the demon hunter, the dragon girl moved to sit on the side of the desk. Grabbing a slice of pizza for herself, she turned to look at the devil hunter with curious eyes.

"So what kinda questions did you have in mind?"

"Since I have nothing else to do today, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Still looking at the hunter, the dragon cocked her head to the side before responding.

"Ok."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_"So what kinda questions did you have in mind?"_

_"Since I have nothing else to do today, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"_

_Still looking at the hunter, the dragon cocked her head to the side before responding._

_"Ok."_

Taking a bite out of her pizza as she collected her thoughts, the girl swallowed her food before turning away from the hunter and starting her story.

"About three years ago, I woke up as a human, covered in my own blood. The damage that was done to me should have killed me, but I guess my dragon blood prevented that from happening. The worst part though, was that I couldn't remember anything. And then Lacerta found me and started to heal me with his magic. He told me humans had beaten me because I was a monster. He said he saw the whole thing and felt bad for me and decided to help me. When I asked him why I was considered a monster, he told me that I was gifted with the power of a dragon, but some demons had done bad things and I was the one that took the blame. He also said my memory loss was due to my injuries."

"Then he told me that if I helped him, he would help me clear my name. All he wanted to do was go after the demons that really did the damages. When I told him I didn't even remember anything about my dragon abilities he said he could help me with that too. I was so stupid, I believed every lie he spun."

Looking back at the hybrid and taking another slice of pizza before she spoke again.

"So, that's basically my story. Over time I found out that it was Lacerta lied about everything and was the one who hurt me in the first place and then totally wiped my memories. All for his own profit."

Dante listened as the dragon girl finished talking. He couldn't help but think that it really wasn't the end of the story but he didn't push the matter. Instead he decided on other questions.

"So, he wiped your memories. All of them?"

"Yep, don't even remember my own name."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it."

"You said that Lacerta didn't 'work alone.' Whats that all about?"

"Yes, he works for some demon who he only calls 'Master.' I can't tell you who it is because I don't know myself. All I know is that it's a powerful demon that Lacerta sided with to get more power."

"Why now did you decide to escape Lacerta if he was so bad to you?"

"He was just given another task to complete, but I don't know what it is we were after. I think he's looking for something. Couldn't find out what, but it has something to do with a place called Fortuna. Whatever he is after, I knew it would lead to a lot of trouble. So I decided it was a good time to escape before we left for the place. I hadn't cause any trouble for awhile and Lacerta let his guard down. It wasn't easy but I made it. Until he hired you and your friends that is."

Finishing her pizza as she looked back at the hunter, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, the dragon girl thought about her own questions and decided to get some answers.

"So if you're Dante. I must be at Devil May Cry, your office in Capulet city were you hunt demons, yes?"

"Yeah, but very few people actually know what I do for a living. So, how did you find out?"

"One of Lacerta's goals that I know of was to take you and your friends out. He seemed to think that you guys were bad for his business."

"And what 'business' is that exactly?"

"He does whatever his master tells him to do. Sometimes that means making a demon side with him or killing a demon that just gets in the way. I guess you guys were on the hit list."

"Was that why you were so surprised to hear my name earlier?"

"Yeah, if Lacerta could see me now. Sitting here, eating pizza with one of his enemies, I'm sure he would highly disapprove," she said with a laugh. "I'll bet he was hoping you would finish me off if the magic and falling castle didn't."

At the mention of the night before, the hunter glanced at the girl's side where the damage was done by his sword. That's when Dante saw a small red mark slowly growing bigger on the girl's bandage that was wrapped around her side.

"Looks like you need fresh bandages."

"Huh?"

The girl looked down to see what the hybrid was talking about. Sure enough, the cut on her side was bleeding through her bandage.

Dante stood up and walked towards the bathroom, calling over his shoulder as he went.

"Don't move. I'll be right back with the first aid kit."

As the dragon girl watched the hunter walk away and move through the door way to the bathroom, she couldn't help but think of all the stuff he had already done for her.

'He saved me and is even helping me now. It all seems too good to be true.' No sooner than her thought was finished, Dante came walking back out of the bathroom with a small white box with a red plus sign, in his hand.

Sitting the box on the desk, the hybrid moved to stand in front of the wounded girl. So he wouldn't alarm her any more, he carefully reached for the knot holding the bandages together and slowly unwrapped the cut. After watching the hunter with a careful eye, the girl looked down at her side again to observe her cut.

"Dang, looks a little deep. Guess I won't be flying for a while."

At that moment a shiny glint out of the corner of her eye caught the dragon girl's attention. Looking over the hunter's shoulder, she saw he left his sword on the billiard table.

"Your sword, Rebellion. It's magic, right?"

Dante answered in a monotone voice, not looking up from his work, "Why do you ask?"

"That would explain why my side has barely healed. Anything with magic effects me, so I'd say it will take a little while for my side to completely heal."

Dante looked up at the girl before he grabbed some alcohol, fresh gauze, and more wrapping from the medical box. Putting the alcohol on a clean pad, he looked back up at the girl with a smirk before putting the wet rag on the cut.

"Now this may sting just a little," he said as the rag made contact with the wound.

Instantly tensing and letting out a long hiss, the girl looked at the hybrid before saying, "Ouch."

Smirking a little at the dragon girl's reaction, Dante looked back at his work before talking again.

"You seem to heal pretty well, but I noticed you still have some scars. Are they from magic too?"

"Yes, Lacerta has a bit of a temper. Anytime I didn't listen he would use magic to try and remind me who was in charge. He was a bad teacher though. None of his lessons stuck."

After cleaning up any extra blood, Dante put a fresh gauze on and started rewrapping the girl's side. A moment of silence as Dante finished his work, before the dragon girl spoke again.

"Hey, what happened to that human girl and older guy?"

"Their fine."

"Good. Ya know for healing well on your own, you sure are good at fixing other people up," the dragon girl said as she looked back down at the fresh bandage.

After putting all the unused material back in the box, Dante faced the girl again. She still looked pale, but the food and rest she had stopped her from looking like the living dead. She glanced back at the hunter to see him staring at her. Gazing back into her dark chocolate eyes with the bits of gold, Dante could see she still looked very tired.

"Do your eyes only turn colour when you're in your dragon form?"

"Kinda. They turn colour when my dragon power is kicking in."

Dante continued to gaze at the girl before him. He couldn't place it, but there was something about those eyes that left him spellbound. For the second time that day he felt as though he were being hypnotized.

'RIIIING'

The shrill ring of the black, old time rotary phone brought the staring contest to an end. Dante kicked the side of the desk which caused the phone to fly up into the air. With one hand the demon hunter caught the phone. The dragon girl watch with amazement at the display as Dante answered the call in a monotone voice.

"Devil May Cry. For the last time, I'm not the funeral director! I take care of the living! How many times I gotta tell you people?"

Dante tossed the phone back onto the receiver and grabbed the first aid kit and headed to the bathroom to put it away. Thinking this was her cue to leave, the still wounded girl slid off the desk as careful as possible to keep her side from bleeding too much. Dante's voice stopped her half way across the shop.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Turning back to the hybrid, who was leaning on the doorframe of the bathroom, she answered.

"I figured, now that questions were over, it was a good time to leave. Unless this is the part where you shoot me now that you have your answers and the bandages are just to keep your place less bloody."

"Huh, what ya talking about? No, I'm not going to shoot you. First of all, you're only half dressed, you look like shit, and you're still too weak to move very far."

"Yes, but I'm alive. And if I want to stay away from Lacerta then I need to keep moving. Once Lacerta finds out I'm still alive, he won't stop till he gets me back. I'm sure he would love to see me dead, but he wont stop using me if I'm alive, maybe even after."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, and I'm sure its something you don't want to have to deal with so, I'll get out of your hair."

With that the girl turned back around and walked two feet before a warm hand grabbed her upper arm and spun her around. With a surprised look on her face the girl looked up at the hunter as he spoke to her.

"Stay here."

"WHAT?"

" Just until your side heals. It won't do either of us any good if I have to save your ass again so soon because you're injured."

Looking up into his eyes to try and find any trace of deceit, but finding none, she asked, "Why are you doing all of this?"

With a small smirk Dante released the girls arm and replied, "Cause I'm nice to the women. Now stay here while I go find an old shirt you can borrow to sleep in till you get cleaned up. Not that I mind the view now."

A small amount of red tented the dragon girl's cheek as Dante looked down at her chest and then back up at her, winked and turned to walk away.

'Perv,' she thought, 'but he did save my life and is even helping me now.'

Before the hybrid completely left the room she called out.

"Dante! Thank you, for everything. I owe you."

Dante paused and looked over his shoulder with a small smile before he spoke, "Don't sweat the small stuff, Babe."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mid afternoon Trish, Patty, Morrison, and Lady walked into Devil May Cry. Patty was lugging two big bags stuffed to the top with different material in them. After everyone had entered the shop, they turned to see the girl from the night before sleeping on one of the couches, looking exactly the same as when they last saw her except for the long sleeved red shirt she was wearing and the bandage on her forhead.

As usual Dante was a sleep at his desk, with his feet proped up and a magazine on his face. Now fullly dressed in his usual long sleeved black shirt and red buckel vest with his cloved hands resting behing his head, he didn't move an inch as his guests walked into his shop. Patty ran up to the hunter's desk and set the bags she brought with her down before turning to the hunter and grabbing the magazine from his face.

"Wake up, Dante!"

Opening one eye, the hybrid looked at his guests before responding.

"What do you want? I'm sleeping."

"We told you we'd stop by to see the girl or dragon, whatever," Trish said as she took a quick glance at the still sleeping girl.

"She's over there, can't you see?"

"But she's sleeping, it would be rude to wake her," Patty said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hey, what about me?"

"You're always alseep or eating pizza."

"Not when you're around to interupt me."

"Enough," sighed Lady, "Dante, did she tell you anything?"

"Of course, any woman would tell me anything if I asked."

"Thats gotta be the biggest load of bull if I ever heard any," came a sleepy voice from the couch.

All heads turn to see the girl in the red, long sleeved shirt sitting up from the worn piece of funiture.

"You're awake!," cried Patty with glee while running over to the freshly awakened girl.

"I'am now," the girl said with a sleepy smile at the excited blonde kid in front of her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than I felt 18 hours ago."

"I got you some clothes!"

"Huh?"

Patty ran back to the desk to grab her bags and brought them to the girl still sitting on the couch.

"I knew all your clothes were torn beyond repair, so I went to the orpahanage and told them I had a friend in need of some stuff. I got new clothes, hair brush, some shoe's, and even a new toothbrush for you."

"Um, wow. Thank you, but you didn't have to."

"Don't worry about it, I was happy to help. I mean you saved our lives, so its the least I could do. Now that you're awake and feel better, why dont you go get a shower and try on the clothes."

"Uh, ok," the girl stammered as she was all but dragged off the couch and pushed past the hunters and agent and then through the bathroom door at the back of the shop.

After Patty had shut the bathroom door, she rounded on Dante with a determened look.

"You didn't do anything to upset her, did you? The last thing we need is you pestering some poor defenceless girl with your stupid boy ways."

"Huh? What the hell do you mean 'defenceless'? Did you forget she turns into a fire breathing dragon? And I know how to treat wemon," Dante finished with a confident smirk.

"Is that what you call it?," Morrison asked as he took off his coat and hat, then lit a cigerette as he sat down on one of the couches as the sound of running water started behind the closed door.

"Anyway," Lady cut in before Dante could make a remark, " what did she tell you?"

"Well, she told me how that creepy guy who hired us is really a great sorceror. He took away the chicks memory so she doesn't even remember her own name. He also works for some other demon that has it out for us, but she doesn't know who that demon is. And by the sound of it, the prick knows about Yamato. They were just about to go on a road trip to Fortuna until the chick escaped. And thats about it."

"She doesn't know her own name?," Patty said with a sad look on her face.

"I think a more important question at the moment is who is the sorceror working for?," Trish said looking from Patty to Dante.

"Yes, and if their plan was to get Yamato, do you think he'll still go now?," Lady add to Trish's coment.

"I'm sure the big cheese will show himself in time. And the kid has things covered in Fortuna. So as far as I see, nothing to worry about," Dante told the huntresses as he moved to get his magazine back and then leaned back in his chair to finish his nap.

The two older wemon looked at each other in a silent agrement at the stupidity that was Dante when it came to being prepaired with information.

"Maybe we should ask some of our own questions," Lady said.

"I agree, there has to be something more to this Lacerta guy," Trish added.

A few minutes passed as Dante tried to finish his nap while the others talked about what to do now that the dragon was awake. Finally, the water was turned off and all heads turned to see the now clean and freshly dressed woman walk out of the bathroom. Dante let the magazine fall from his face as he opened one eye to peak at his temporary flat mate.

She came out dressed almost like a moving shadow. She was wearing a black tank top that fit well enough, but showed that she had missed one to many meals. Her new outfit was also made of slightly baggy, ebony coloured jeans and charcoal combat boots. Her dark hair was still damp from the shower, but looked much better with all the dirt and blood out of it. It was just past shoulder length and was already starting to naturally curl. All in all, she looked much better, she'd even removed the band-aid that was once on her forhead to show her cut was gone.

Dante didn't move or say anything as he looked at the woman, but his eyes were drinking up her new appearance. 'Not bad, she could use a few good meals though. Hmm, she has an interesting hair colour. Its like a dark brown but its got odd red highlights on top, sorta like a strawberry brown. Wait, is that even a saying? Anyway, she has a different skin colour too. To dark to be white, but also still light. Its kinda like a dark caramel tone. Maybe she has some kind of hispanic heritage in her or something. Wait, did I just say strawberry brown and dark caramel? What am I talking about, a menu? I must still be hungery. Knew I shouldn't have shared half my pizza.' Dante finished his thoughts with a shake of his head and moved to retrive his magazine again.

Patty was the first to actually react to the woman making her way out of the bathroom. She ran up to the older girl with a bright smile on her face.

"You look great! I thought you would like those clothes. They are litttle too dark for my taste, but I thought you would like them."

"Yes, they are very nice, thanks again Patty."

"You don't clean up half bad," Lady said as she made her way over to Patty and the dragon girl.

"Thanks. Um, sorry about the hitting you before," the dragon girl told Lady and then turned to Trish, "And sorry about the fire wall at you too."

"Don't worry about it. Its not like we're going to go and die that easy," Trish said.

"Straight to buisness then. We want to find out more about this Lacerta guy. What can you tell us?"

"Not much really. He's an evil jerk that doesn't like to do the dirty work on his own jobs, that about sums him up."

"Dante said you don't know what demon he's working with," Lady said, " Do you at least have an idea where he could he hiding at?"

"Two to one says he's in some kinda castle. He loves those things and he'll more than likely be hidding there while he heals and plots his next move. Why do you want to know? You planning on going after him?"

"We've bigger fish to fry," Trish said as she made her way toward the door.

"I see. You want to get to the demon he's working for by going though Lacerta."

"Something like that. There aren't to many castle's in this area. We'll check out information on them at the library and move from there."

"You girls be careful," Morrison adds as he watches the two huntresses leave.

Trish and Lady wave in acknowledgement to Morrison as they walk out the door. After the two huntresses left, Patty turned to the dragon with a idea forming in her head as they heard the sound of motorcycles driving away.

"Hey, now that you're feeling better, do you want to go out? I'd like to show you around town. We can get something to eat and then go to the park!"

"I guess I can."

"Thats great, just follow me! I'll show you a great place to eat. You have to have something better to eat than just pizza all the time. I try and tell Dante this but he never listens."

The two men watched as Patty grabbed the older girl's hand and ran out of the shop, talking the whole time about Dante's bad eatting habits. Morrison took out another cigarette and lit it up before turning his attention to Dante.

"So do you really think this woman is trust worthy Dante?"

"Either way. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Dante said as he reopenend his magazine and began to read it.

"You sure its safe to let the dragon girl run off with Patty like that?"

"She'll be fine. The chick doesn't seem like the type to hurt a little kid and even if she did, its not like the she'll will be moving very far with her side still messed up."

"Still beating yourself up over that are you?"

"What are you talking about," Dante asked not once looking up from his magazing.

"Don't play me for a fool, Dante. I saw how you were acting while we brought the girl back here. You'll never admit it I know, but you had 'guilt' written all over your face while you were trying to patch her up in the back of the car."

The hunter continued to look at his magazine but Morrison was unfazed by Dante attitude. Morrison took another drag from his cigarette before speaking again.

"Don't let it bother you too much. You didn't know the dragon was also a young woman when you three fought her before. And she seems to be healing nicely. So, no real harm done. My question is, where will she go now? I doubt she has any safe place to go, what with that sorceror after her and all."

"I told her she could stay here until her side healed," Dante responded in a monatone voice.

"Did you now? Well, thats very kind of you. Is it the only reason you asked her to stay?"

Dante finally looked up from his magazine with a suspicous look on his face.

"Of course it is. Why else would I have her stay? Once she's healed, she can go and I can get some peace and quiet again."

"I see, my apologizes for thinking otherwise. Well I'll be off so you can get your 'peace and quiet' you want so much. I'll be back soon to see how well things are going with the girl," Morrison said while standing up with his coat and hat in hand, "Take care Dante."

"Yeah, whatever," Dante said as he went back to his magazine after Morrison walked out the door.

As Morrison walked to his car, he chuckeled to himself, "Wonder what Dante's got himself into this time?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The many colours of the setting sun lit up the sky as Patty and the dragon girl sat at the swings in the middle of the park. After an enjoyable afternoon of sight seeing the young blonde thought it would be fun to head to the playground before going back to Dante's place. Patty was doing all of the talking, informing the dragon girl of all the adventures she had been on after she met Dante. The dragon was enjoying the company of the younger girl along with the freedom she now had, she only wondered how long it would all last.

"So, Dante told us you don't remember your name," Patty said and brought the dragon girl's attention back to her.

"That's true. I don't actually know if I ever had a name."

Patty thought for a moment before jumping off the swing and standing in front of the other girl with a determand look on her face. "Then I promise to find you a name!"

"That's ok, you really don't have to."

"Its no trouble, I'd love to help! I'll even ask my mom if she... Oh no, mom and dinner, I'm going to be late! I have to go!"

Patty started to run toward the exit to the park until she remembered the dragon girl was still on the swing. Before Patty could call out, the young woman yelled out to her.

"Don't worry about me. I remember the way back. Enjoy your dinner with your mom."

"Ok, thanks. I'll stop by tomorrow to see how your doing. And don't worry, I'll find you a name, " Patty called back as she turned back to head out of the park.

Now all alone, the young woman continued to slowly swing and watch as the sun slowly set and the few stars came out to be seen in the city sky. Time seemed to roll slowly by as the dragon continued her swinging and star gazing. She was enjoying the quiet, save for the occasional squeak of the rusty swing chain.

A few hundred feet away, behind the swings, the smallest movement in the bushes could be seen. All of a sudden a blob of orange acid came shooting out of the bushes and hit the metal swing with a sickining hiss. Making its way slowly out of the bushes to check its work was a demon. Looking like a deformed giant albino alligator with black spikes all over its body, it made its way to the still desolving swing set. Its red-orange eyes looked over its work but it could find no trace of the girl it had seen moments ago.

"Looking for me?"

The gator demon turned its head to the sound of the voice and found its prey standing on top of the jungle gym a few feet away.

"YOU ARE THE DRAGON HUMAN THE SORCOROR SEEKS?" the gator asked in a deep raspy voice as it narrowed its eyes at the girl.

"And what if I am?"

"THEN MY ORDERS ARE TO TAKE YOU BACK TO YOUR MASTER."

"Was that before or after you melted me with your acid attack? Sorry about you luck, umm... Gator, but I an't going anywhere."

"IF YOU WILL NOT COME WILLINGLY, THEN MY ORDERS ARE TO MAKE YOU RETURN AT ANY COST."

"One problem with that big guy, you have to catch me first," she said with laugh.

The Gator started the fight by spitting more acid to the top of the jungle gym in the direction of the girl. Jumping off the playground equipment, the girl hears the hiss as the orange goop makes contact with the metal she was just standing on. Running around the other side of the jungle gym to avoid more acid, the girl vanishes into the darkness.

Following his prey, the Gator finds himself in a clearing in the middle of the park where there are fewer lights to eluminate the area. Stopping to try and get a fix on the young shape shifter, the Gator looks around him and into the darkness. As he turns to his right, he only catches a climps of movement before he is hit in the side and knocked down. Looking back up, the Gator sees the girl in her dragon form walking out of the darkness. As the Gator gets back up, he never takes his eyes off the new form of his prey.

Her back scales shine in the moon light and her amethist eyes seem to glow bright as she continues to stare at the demon before her. Noticing her limp wing the Gator thinks he has the advantage as he lunges at the dragon but, she quickly spins to hit him with her pointed tail. The demon Gator stumbles back a bit from the blow to his head that now has a nice size gash in it. Gazing back up at the dragon, the demon lets out a frustrated growl before standing to his full height and prepairing for another acid attack.

The dragon used her uninjured wing as a shield as the orange liquid rains down on her. The Gator thinks he is the victor for only a moment until he relizes that the acidic attack wasn't working. The acid was falling off the dragon's wing like rain on a rain coat. Standing back up, the shape shifter uses the Gator's moment of confusion to send a blast of fire his way. The Gator falls back and shrieks in pain from his second and third degree burns that cover its pale skinned body. As a finale move that would end the battle, the dragon leaps forward and pins the demon down while she sinks her razor sharp teeth into the Gator's throat.

Warm blood covers the dagon's mouth and runs down the Gator's throat as it comes gushing out of the inflicted wound. Slowly suffocating to death, the Gator tries to let out a cry that only comes out as a small gurgle. With her prey now dead, the hunter lets go of the dead weight still glutched in her jaw and watches it fall a few inches to the ground with a dull thud.

The sound of clapping cut through the now silent battle ground. The dragon turned her head to see a familar white haired, red coat wearing man standing off to the side of the freshly made battle field. A small smirk played on Dante's lips as he continued looking at the scene before him.

"Not bad, Babe. Well, at least I now know that you can actually fight. I was wondering how long you would last in a fight when you carry no real weapons. A little to messy for my taste, but hey, you got the job done."

Slowly the shape shifter made her way over to the hybrid. A small confused look crossed her face as she transformed back into her human form.

"What are you doing here? Were you watching the whole time?"

"You never came back to the shop. Started thinking that maybe you really had skipped town."

"No, I was out with Patty, remember? After she left for dinner with her mom, I stayed here and I guess I just lost track of the time. Thats easy to do when you don't own a watch," the girl said as she wiped the blood off her mouth with her arm and came to a stop a few feet in fron of the devil hunter.

Dante watched as the woman made her way over to him. He could see the fatigue in her eyes even through the darkness of the night. She had taken care of the lower level demon with no real trouble, but still being weak from the night before, he knew that she had used up a lot of the energy she had been trying to get back. Looking down at her side, he also saw that her wound had started to bleed again, no doubt from all the movement in the fight. Despite the cool deminer the girl held, he could see that the fight had taken its toll on her.

Looking back up into her face, he noticed a little blood still left on the side of her lips. Slowly moving to stand in front of her, Dante brought his hand up to the girls face. Slightly smirking at her wide eyed raction to his movements, the hunter ran his thumb across the side of her mouth to get rid of the last of the blood.

"You missed a spot. The way you finished off the demon was kinda kinky in a way. Now I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can do."

Snapping out of her thoughts, the dragon girl rolled her eyes at Dante's statement. Stepping around the half devil and making her way to the entrance to the park, the dragon girl called out.

"Your impossible. Come on, lets go. Its been a long night, I could use a nap and I get the feeling I'm in need of a new bandage. And to top it all off, Patty will kill me when she finds out I got blood on the new shirt she gave me."

Smilling at her retreating form, the hunter stepped quickly to catch up to the slightly wounded shape shifter .

"Good luck on dealing with Patty, you're going to need it. And if I have to help you any more with your wound, I may as well just go get a doctor's liscence."

"I just said I needed it changed, I didn't say anything about you helping me. Besides, you probably only want to see me without my shirt again."

"Can't blame a guy for looking, can ya? And what kinda experience do you have with medical supplies? I bet you couldn't even play the game Operation."

"What the heck is 'Operation?'"

As the hunters continude their playful panter and walked away, neither noticed a figure safely hidden in the shaddows on the side of the battle field, watching them as they made their way toward the exit of the park.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A large stone room, damp and dark from years of neglect is the sight for a sinister meeting. The only source of light and heat came from the fire place that was alive with red and orange flames casting shadows over the two occupants in the room.

"I see your little pet failed to reteive what is mine," the socceror said as he sat in front of the fire.

"Not entirerly my lord. We now know for a fact that _your_ pet is in the company of the younger son of Sparda. I've seen them together. It looks as if he is watching over her while she heals," came the reply from a figure standing in the shadows.

"Figures that tramp would shack up with that half breed. Tell me how this news is any better. Once she fully heals she will be almost impossible to track down and capture. And I want her back now!"

"Patience my lord, I have a plan that will get us what we want. But thats not the only problem we have to deal with. The two huntresses who are friends of Dante are starting to snoop around. Its only a matter of time before they come across information that will give them and the dragon some new questions they wish to answer. To avoid any more problems I think we should move quickly. You go ahead to Fortuna and I will stay here and cause some trouble for your dragon."

"Do not think to double cross me again. Remember, I only brought you back because you said you could capture her again."

"And I will. All I have to do is seperate the two."

"And you have a plan to do this?"

"I have a plan."

Trish and Lady sat near each other at a table in the middle of the city library. The many stacks of books they had pulled off the shelves surrounded them to make a wall that closed them off from the rest of the library.

"I cant believe we have been in here for hours and have hardly found anything," the raven haired woman commented.

"Hm, this is proving harder than I had thought," replied the blonde.

"We've eliminated the few castles in the area. So where else would Lacerta go if he likes castles?"

"I dont know but if we keep looking we're bound to find...," Trish turned the page in her book, "Well, look at that."

"What? You find something? Let me see."

Trish slid the book across the table to Lady. Lady's eyes widened at the sight of the black and white photo in the page in the old book.

"Looks like we need to talk to the dragon again."

The second day of the dragon girl's stay started off with a bright and sunny morning. Capulet city was alive with its early morning people starting their day. In the heart of town, the Devil May Cry office was still dark and quiet with its occupents snoozing the morning away.

Dante sat sleeping in his chair, fully dressed with his feet propped up on the desk and an old magazine on his face. The young woman was asleep on one of the couches, still recovering from the past few days events.

The door to the shop swung open and Patty shattered the lazy morning feel by running into the office.

"Hey, I found you a name!"

The shout woke the two sleeping beings in the room. The dragon sat up quickly, but calmed down when she saw there was no threat and yawned as Dante groaned from under his magazine but hadn't moved from the desk. His voice muffled by the papper still covering his face as he addressed the young blonde who had so rudely awoken him.

"What the hell are you doing here so early for? Go away."

Patty sighed as she marched up to the hunter and snatched away the magazine frome his face.

"It's not that early. I wanted to stop by before school to see the dragon girl cause I found her a name," Patty finished with a warm smile at the thought of the reason for her trip all the way down to the shop.

The shape shifter finished waking up and turned to the blonde haired girl with a curious look when she heard the reason for the visit. The young girl rushed over to the older female with a bright smile still on her face.

"You found me a name already?" The dark eyed girl question with some amazment.

"Yes, I stayed up late with my mom thinking over different names. We thought we found one that is perfect for you! How would you like the name, Kaida?"

Dante snorted from the other side of the office, "K-whats-a?"

Patty turned to glare at the male and put her hands on her hips, "Its pronounced 'ka ee da'."

"Whatever. Where did you even come up with a weird name like that?" Dante questioned while looking at the females with one eye opened.

"Its not weird. Its the name of my favorite character on one of my soap operas," Patty said with a happy note in here voice.

Dante scoffed and closed his eye as he tried to go back to sleep as Patty turned back to the dragon. "So do you like it?"

The dragon girl looked at the blue eyed girl with a smile, "Kaida, huh? Its very pretty. I like it. Thanks Patty."

Patty looked delighted at the response. But her happiness deflated somewhat when she saw the blood stain on the side of the girls shirt.

"What happened to your shirt? Did something happen after I left the park yesterday?" Patty asked in a slightly worried tone.

Kaida gazed down at the stain in the fabric and then sheppishly looked back up at young blonde. Along with the blood stain there where a few rips and even some acid spots covering the shirt.

"Yeah, sorry about the shirt. Had a little run in with a jerk after you left and reopened my wound. But no worries, I took care of him. He wont be ruining any more clothes," Kaida said in an attempt to lightn the mood.

Patty frowned for a moment as she digested the new information but smiled as she came to a conclusion.

"Thats alright. Trish and Lady told me that being a hunter would be a dangerous buisness for the fashion world. But dont worry, I'll bring you a new shirt after school. Oh, I guess I should go before I'm late," Patty finished with a smile as she walked towards the door. But before she left she called over her shoulder, "Dante, make sure you take good care of Kaida while I'm gone. See you guys after school!"

Kaida watched Patty go with a smile on her face at the young girls attitude. Looking back at Dante, the shape shifter saw that hunter had already gone back to sleep. Deciding to follow his example, the dragon layed back down and drifted back off to sleep.

Their sleep was once again interupted a few hours later by the phone ringing. Dante groaned again and started grumbled something incohirent as he hit the desk with his foot to send the phone flying into his out stretched hand. Kaida stayed on the couch with her eyes closed but listen in on the frustrated and sleep derprived hunter as he answered the phone.

"Devil May Cry. Oh, hey Morrison. Really? Might be interesting. Ok, we meeting at the usual place? Sounds good. Ok, see you there." Dante finished the conversation and tosed the phone back down.

"A mission?" Kaida asked as she opened her eyes to watch the red clad man stand up and move to get his coat.

"Maybe. I'm going to go meet Morrison and get the details," Dante resoponded as he finished putting his coat on and grabbed his black guitar case and headed for the door.

"Cool. Can I come with?" The dragon asked as she stood up and stretched.

Dante turned back with a confused look on his face. "What do you want to come for? Besides, you're suppose to be resting so you can hurry up and heal so you can leave."

"I just wanted to get out of this shop and get some fresh air. I can still heal while I'm at the meeting with Morrison. Whats the big deal?" Kaida responded while looking at the other hunter with a little pout.

Dante smirked as he walked over to Kaida and put his gloved hand on her head and and gave it a little shake. "Tell ya what Babe, you stay here and be a good girl and when I get back I'll take you out to eat. Sound good?"

Kaida frowned at the teasing tone but before the dragon could respond, Dante pushed her back so she fell back into the couch. In the second that it took her to look back up, the door was already closing and Dante was gone. The shape shifter hopped off the furniture and started to go after the half demon and give him a piece of her mind. But half way across the shop a thought crossed the back of her mind and stopped her in her tracks.

_'I don't like giving in so easily but he did save my life and is watching my back while I heal. Guess it wouldn't kill me to listen this once and chill til he gets back._'

With a sigh the dragon turned back around and took a good look at the shop. Not really feeling tired any more, she decided to do some exploring of her temperary home. First walking over to the billard table to take a look. She thought the game looked interesting, but not knowing how to play she decided to move on. Walking to the other side of the shop she looked at the drum set, guitars, massive speakers, and a framed record.

Thats when she first thought she heard something. It wasn't loud but her dragon hearing picked up the sound of whispering. Stopping to look around but finding nothing she continuded on her way.

After looking at the jukebox, that had seen better days, the young woman went to go sit at the desk. After seeing the same view that Dante sees everytime he sits down, the shape shifters eyes landed on the only photo seen in the entire shop. While looking at the women dressed in red with the long golden hair and oddly familar eyes, the dragon thought she heard the whispering again. Looking back up and around the shop to still see no one around the dragon started to think she was losing her mind. Putting her head down at the desk and letting out a sigh, Kaida started to listen hard. Thats when she finally heard a quiet voice float through the air.

"Listen brother, she is sighing."

"Another sigh? What is a sigh again?"

"Well, like I said before, a sigh is when..."

Kaida stood up and yelled before the voice could finish its sentance.

"Alright whose there!"

The dragon listen carefully for the voices to start again and pin point their location.

"Brother, she can hear us! What do we do?"

"Calm down brother. We need not worry as long as she does not tell the master of us talking."

Walking over to the back corner of the shop, Kaida saw a seven foot tall steel cabinet that she had some how missed before but knew that was where the voices where coming from. As she got closer to the doors she felt a small amount of magic energy coming off the steel cabinet before her. Now understanding that this was the reason for over looking the object before her and knowing that the magic was not ment to directly effect her, she opened the doors but was not ready for the sight that greeted her.

Looking into the steel cabinet she saw a red and blue set of simatars, a dark guitar, a silver brief case, and a number of other odd items all just sitting in there. Still not understanding, Kaida called out into the cabinet.

"Um, hello?"

"We have been found Brother!" The red sword said.

"This is not good Brother!" The blue sword also comented.

Kaida looked at the two swords with the talking heads for a moment before she realised what was going on.

"You two must be some of those devil arms I've heard about. Why are you here?"

The swords looked at the new woman before them but had stopped talking.

"Whats the matter. You not going to talk to me now?" Kaida asked with a little frown on her face.

"We do not mean to be rude."

"No, it is nice to talk to someone new."

"But master said 'no talking.'" Both swords said at the same time.

The dragon smiled at this and sat down in front of the two swords.

"But your 'master' isn't here at the moment so why don't we get to know each other and talk a little? Its nice to meet you. My name is Kaida. What are your names?"

Delighted with the thought of someone new to talk to, the swords responded quickly without a second thought.

The red sword spoke up first. "My name is Agni."

"And my name is Rudra," the blue sword said.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Kaida," they both finished.

"So how did you guys meet Dante?" the shape shifter asked.

"That is a grand story for telling."

"Yes, an amazing story."

Kaida smiled and started to enjoy the odd but interesting story time.

A couple hours later in was early afternoon and Dante was making his way back to his shop. Walking up to the doors he was happy to see the place was still standing.

"Well it looks like she didn't cause too much trouble while I was gone," Dante thought out loud. Just as he was about to open the door, Dante heard more than one voice coming out of his office along with the sound of laughter.

'What the heck is she doing in there?'

Dante thought as he opened the doors and looked around his shop. His eyes finally came to rest on the shape shifter lying on the floor in front of his devil arms cabinet. Walking closer to the girl, Dante saw she was talking to two specific members of his collection.

"So you mean that when they first met, she not only shot him once but twice! Thats priceless," the dragon girl laughed.

Hearing the foot steps behind her, Kaida turned and saw the devil hunter standing a few feet away giving her a curious look.

"Oh, hey Dante."

"Yes, hello master."

"Master, hello."

"What the hell is going on in here!" Dante question, still not quite believing his eyes.

"Uh ho, I think we're busted," Kaida told the brothers who gulped and looked on with a worry.

"How many times I gotta tell you guys? No talking," Dante told the swords as he walked up and shut the doors to the cabinet and then turned around and looked at the girl still sitting on the floor, "And you. What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"What? I was just talking," the shape shifter said as she stood up and looked at the hunter. Dante scoffed as he walked passed the dragon girl to go sit at his desk.

"How did you even find the cabinet? Its protected by a magic charm to stop random people from finding it. Shouldn't you be allergic to it or something?"

"The magic wasn't made to directly effect me so it wont harm me," the dragon girl explained, "So how did the meeting with Morrison go?"

"Fine. I have a job later this afternoon. Couple of demons are being a pest on the other side of town."

"Cool. Are we still going out for food?" Kaida asked as she came to stand beside the desk.

"You want to go out looking like that?" Dante smirked as he eyed the girls still tattered shirt.

Before Kaida could answer, Patty ran into the shop with a piece of material in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Hey, I got you a new shirt! Its just like your old one too!"

"Guess that solves that problem," the dragon girl said with a smirk, "So lets go!"

AN: Sorry its been awhile sents the last update. My thanks to those who are still reading the story


End file.
